Welcome to the first top 10 of our brand new challenge based course,  Empower! The final in the Unleashed Challenges series. We're back with 12 fresh new challenges and we're kicking things off with a composition based challenge, Along the Lines.

Leading lines are a powerful compositional technique in photography. They are created by the inclusion of visual elements within a photograph that guide the viewer's eyes toward a specific point of interest, drawing attention to the main subject and creating a sense of depth, and even movement, in the image. 

In Along the Lines we take students though the challenges of handling dogs, working with light and the location to create images with leading lines.

We had some fantastic submissions from our challengers, but here, in no particular order, are our top erm 11 (User error, i.e. us forgetting to flag an image in the selection process means we actually have a top 11). Well done to all of the photographers. 

Charlotte & Craig 🐶 📸 ✨

Marika Moffitt | Soul Dog Creative

The way the light catches the top of the stairs subtly leads the eye to the dog, which is posed beautifully and supported by the negative space, with subtle colour and texture in use throughout the image.

Chantal Levesque | Chantal Levesque Photo

The stalking pose of the dog and the science-fiction inspired background combine to create an otherworldly shot, filled with strong leading lines directing the viewer towards the subject.

Megan Purtell | Megan Purtell Photography

Simple leading lines from both sides draw the eye towards the centered subject in this image. The dog has been beautifully edited and posed to capture emotion and expression.

Pauliina Saarinen | Pauliina Saarinen Photography

The placement of the dog in this scene is perfect, with the lines from the stairs diverging toward the centered subject. The colour of the scene and dog are also perfectly matched!

Anna Dernsjö | Anna Karin Dernsjö Photography

The combination of obvious, subtle, straight and organic leading lines in this image work perfectly to lead the eye towards the subject, which stands out in the scene due to the higher contrast and texture.

Jeff Rooney | Hightail It Photography

The expansiveness of the landscape and interplay of light and shade leads the viewer directly towards the dog, resulting in it standing out perfectly in this cleverly executed image.

Heidi Adler | Heidi Adler Photography

A combination of leading lines and centering work together effectively to draw the eye directly towards the dog. The colours in the scene have been handled beautifully.

Kelly Pettitt | Speed Noodle Studio

The subtle simplicity of this image is highlighted by the dog's beautiful pose, and the leading lines on the ground plane work perfectly.

Magda Szklarska | Your Best Furiend Photography

We loved this unique viewpoint! The leading lines of the railings and stairs right to the dog's head are perfect and the centering also supports the composition.

Sarah Jones | Mucky Pup Photography

The viewer's eye is immediately drawn to the subject via the lines of brickwork leading from the foreground. The dog's black fur has been beautifully handled!

Lisbeth Ganer | LisGanerArt

A beautifully executed high key image, the dog stands out both due to the colour and those strong curving leading lines coming in from the left.

Are you ready to transform your pet photography in just 6 months?

The Unleashed Challenges are a series of 3 interactive challenge based courses, Embark, Emerge and Empower. Each one with 12 challenges running over 6 months. 

Much more than just a challenge, Then Unleashed challenges are an invaluable educational resource that will help you build up a go-to list of shots to help create variety in your work. Designed for anyone to be able to complete whether you just want to photograph your own dog or you are a professional pet photographer.

If you'd like to know more head over here to register your interest and we'll send you all the details. Embark and Emerge are currently open for enrolment, with Emerge beginning on April 1 2024 and Embark on May 1 2024.